Bahamas

Here are photos from my first visit to the Bahamas, a February escape
from a seemingly endless Canadian winter.

The weather was perfect, sunny and warrm, and the Bahamas lived
up to its reputation for beautiful sandy beaches and clear blue
seas.

In addition to my beach days I also set out to explore other
aspects of Nassau and its surroundings. The history is more
than a bit tortured. The Spanish raided the Bahamas to capture
slaves in the 1500s. British settlers arrived during the 1600s but
Nassau was overrun by pirates by the early 1700s.

The Bahamas now relies on tourism rather than piracy to generate
most of its economic activity. But the evolution of mass tourism
has changed the travel industry dramatically in the past few
decades, conspicuously so on small Caribbean islands.

I've tried to weave together information about the Bahamas and
pretty pictures, but you can ignore the notes if you wish. Some
areas remain in their natural state and are stunningly beautiful.

The link to the Pictures File is below the Sample Images. A Route Map and a Table of Contents are provided
below that, both in on-screen and printable forms.